Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen access, by approaches like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
These medications replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their normal hunger come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
